Brutally honest review of Aldi's $299 reformer pilates machine: 'Get what you pay for'

There's often an untold story arc in every Aussie woman's life when she's in her 20s. Sure, we're well-versed in many trials and tribulations women have to go through as they navigate adulthood — the dire dating scene, making sure to ask your male co-workers what they're earning, deeply studying Reddit threads of whether Botox in your twenties is actually a preventive method or just absolute bulls**t, going through an iced latte obsession until it leads to a mental breakdown, pivoting to Alison Roman recipes and inviting friends over for a lavish dinner party before realising that is way too expensive to sustain and going back to the pub specials.

As we peel off in our different life directions — perhaps marriage, motherhood, girl-bossing your way to the sun before you get burned and realise we've all been victims of capitalism — there's often one thing that can unite all the girlies. I'm, of course, talking about pilates.

Back to the untold arc thing — there's a time in every woman's life that she tries to become a pilates girl. It's basically a rite of passage. For some, it sticks and it becomes a part of their personality. For others, they hate it and that's fine. I don't get you, but that's fine.

If you can't tell, I'm someone who is a converted pilates fan. I never stepped foot into a proper gym until I was 27, so don't get it twisted, I'm not some fitness heathen that lives to pulse until my legs give out and then reward myself with a disgusting green juice. It's just when I started reformer pilates in my late-twenties, I became addicted. Exercising while lying down? Tick. Exercising without having to lift extreme weights? Tick. Feeling like I've developed one whole ab after pulsing my way into oblivion, confused about if I wanted to vomit, faint, or fight someone and win? Tick.

So when Aldi first stocked their $299 reformer pilates machine, it seemed too good to be true. I'm the sort of pilates girl who has considered giving up my day job to learn how to teach pilates and open my own studio called "Pop-Punk Pilates" where we all lunge to My Chemical Romance and cry (that idea is trademarked by the way, back off, just like the class name A Day To Rep-member is also trademarked).

So what better way to start practising my pilates dream than by doing it in the comfort of my own home? Enter Aldi's $299 reformer pilates machine.

Aldi's Reformer Pilates machine: what the critics and fans are saying

With the reformer pilates machine back on shelves Saturday, September 14, retailing at $299, Aldi fans have been busy discussing the pros and cons in dedicated Facebook groups. Given the rather exorbitant cost of attending reformer pilates studios, it's hard not to be tempted to buy your very own reformer that costs as much as a 10-pack of classes.

"It’s great for $300, obviously not as sturdy as in studio ones but you can do a full body workout with no difficulty," one fan commented, with someone else agreeing, "I have one and it's amazing."

"Works well for the price, not as smooth as other brands very sturdy considering it’s quite high off the ground," another reviewer added. "I managed to get my hands on one. So far, so good! Feels sturdy, bed glides well, maybe a little more noise than their expensive counterparts, but overall worth it for the price point!" another fan said.

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Not everyone was convinced, however. "Great to dump washing on or clothes I have worn once but will wear again," one person joked. "I’m a Pilates instructor... you get what you pay for," someone else warned. "I wouldn't touch it, to be honest."

"I'd be scared the bands would snap and smack me in the head," someone else remarked, while another joked, "I too would be interested to know if it's going to collapse and catapult you into a wall."

"If you're experienced on a reformer and plan to use it every day I'd probably fork out the money for a better one. I have this one and it's fine but there's a few moves I can't do as well," one user said. "For exercises recommended by a physio or rehab etc. it'd be fine!! For $300 it's great as the good ones are so expensive!"

An honest review of Aldi's reformer machine

So what's it like to actually use? I trialled the Aldi reformer machine for a couple of days to see if it was worth shelling out $300 for and annoying my housemate for the rest of our tenancy by keeping it in the living room directly in front of the TV.

First things first: if you're an idiot like me and can't build anything to save your life, invite a friend over to help you put it together, because despite hitting the gym multiple times a week, I could not lift the machine out of the box by myself.

Now we've got the dumb b**ch stuff out of the way, the machine is fairly easy to set up which is amazing, but when detaching the "springs" (or the tubes) be mindful not to detach a finger along the way. OK, that's safety out of the way now, let's get to the good part.

The machine is easy to use and you can do a lot of the basic pilates moves on it with simplicity. If you're someone who has a lot of room in their house (wow, OK, you're rich! I get it!) you'd probably be able to set this up in a room where you have more space to play. For me living in a relatively small Sydney apartment, there were a few moves that I quickly learned wouldn't be incorporated into my daily practice: leg circles and flying splits for one, unless I wanted to fly kick a vase of flowers or my TV.

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The other thing I noticed was the tension on the hand straps wasn't up to scratch to your stereotypical gym machine, so it all felt a bit loosey-goosey when I was doing ab and core work, but was easily enough adjusted for the arm exercises by holding onto the ropes instead of the straps.

The other thing worth mentioning is that transitions aren't super smooth — you can adjust the straps and springs, but it takes time and can be a bit fiddly compared to the machines you get at gyms, so if you're used to a HIIT-style class you'll feel considerably slowed down.

But for all your lunging, rowing, and leg-press needs, the machine was more than adequate to get the job done.

So the question answered: would I buy the Aldi reformer myself?

In all honesty, probably not. I think it does the trick if you're pilates-curious and want to do some light stretches/workouts in the comfort of your own home, but for me, it wasn't quite the right fit for a few reasons: firstly, I am probably the person who will eventually fork out on a higher quality machine, secondly, I don't really have the space for it, and thirdly, I do need an instructor yelling at me and telling me I'm a huge loser at all times to stay motivated.

But if you have $300, a spare room, and no fear of catapulting yourself off the machine when you want a more intense workout, it could be right up your alley. You can find out more here.

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